I’ve heard that theory as well... that large reservoirs behind dams can cause earthquakes in nearby faults. I have no idea. It’s one of those things that sounds plausible.
I’m not a geologist and didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn, but I think it’s also likely that while a large lake ~seems~ like a lot of weight, it is still very, very small in comparison to the mass of the tectonic plate it sits on. The plate is miles thick and of course thousands of square miles in area. Lots of mass there.
A lake that averages... what... a hundred feet deep? That’s like a coffee cup on the deck of a battleship. Sure it might be the last little bit that makes it tip... but it had to be pretty close already, I’m thinkin’.
And then again, I could be wrong. Happens all the time. Maybe a geologist will show up and help.
“That’s like a coffee cup on the deck of a battleship.”
after reading the descriptions in the articles,
I’m thinking it would me more like Hundreds of Kiddie Pools on the deck of a battleship.
And you just hit some serious waves.